County rejects 112-home plan

A PLANNING application to build 112 houses in Oakham has been turned down by councillors.

Rutland County Council’s development control and licensing committee refused the application by Corby-based firm Jeakins Weir at its meeting on Tuesday.

Planning officers had recommended the application be refused because the development is in open countryside and outside the planned local development for Oakham.

The area also has “high potential” for archaeological remains.

The firm wants to build the homes on land to the west of Uppingham Road near Oakham bypass but had already lodged an appeal with the Secretary of State because of the time it has taken the county council to consider the application, which was submitted in August.

The statutory period to hear the application was within 13 weeks, but the council said it was unable to determine it in that time because of its complexity.

Residents in the area have opposed the application and formed an action group to fight the application. Ahead of the meeting there had been 375 letters of objection and six letters of support.

Oakham Action Group spokesman Amy Cavell-Taylor said: “It is a positive step forward and we are really pleased the county council took that decision. People don’t want this development and we will continue to fight it when it goes to appeal.”

A planning inspector appointed by the Secretary of State is likely to hear the case in May or June.

Members of Oakham Town Council also agreed at a meeting on Wednesday last week to write to the planning inspector to reiterate its unanimous objections to the scheme.

Town councillors had recommended the county council refuse the application on the grounds that the site was outside the town’s planned limit of development, it was in open countryside and would cause road safety problems.#

They said the homes were not needed because of plans for more than 1,000 new homes on the current Rutland Agricultural Society showground and at Oakham Rugby Football Club for which developer Hawksmead has been given outline planning permission.